What Did Platts Use To Be?

 

The site of a farmhouse throughout the 1600s to at least the earlier 1700s this building was used for a grocery shop come cheesemongers in the 1840s and early 1850s by Thomas Butler who later went on to be the postmaster in the West Street Post Office. 

The building then became the premises of Robert Graham the pawnbroker who was probably a Scot by origin. Robert's apprentice Joseph Evans took over the business in 1861 or 62 in partnership with Alfred Edward Batting but they dissolved their business relationship in 1864 and Alfred continued alone.

In 1860 Joseph Evans was one of the witnesses to give evidence against Mary Hill a needlewoman living with the Frith family also of Quoiting Square who stole towels and ribbons from the Frith's and tried to pawn them in Robert Graham's shop. I think she needed to make a bit more of a getaway first! The house the Frith's occupied no longer stands but it was about 30 seconds walk from the pawnbrokers, if that.

Joseph Evans and Alfred Batting together and then Alfred Batting alone also operated as furniture brokers and secondhand clothes dealers.

Alfred ended up moving premises into nearby Market Square leaving his Quoiting Square shop to be taken over by furniture dealer Alfred East circa 1880. Mr East was eventually able to live off site, the big dream of all Victorian and Edwardian shopkeepers. Being able to separate business and home life was the sign that you'd made it. His home Myneholme was in Institute Road.

More Quoiting Square shopkeepers will feature in future posts. List of 1700s occupiers of property in the Square here. More Quoiting Square related posts are listed here. Use the Person Index to find all mentions of someone on this blog.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day.

©Marlow Ancestors. Please feel free to use my research for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog and a link here. You are also free to use my photo here.